I need some help please

[jenna2030]

Hi everyone I am going to be getting goats soon and I don't no anything about goats
So does anyone no anything about goats

 

[Twistedfeather]

What kind of goats are you getting? What do you want done with your goats? Just like chickens having different purposes so do goats. There are meat goats, dairy goats, and pygmy goats, although Pygmy's are considered dairy goats too. Some people even use goats for brush.

 

[jenna2030]

We want pygmys for dairy but I've heard u had to milk them everyday is that true

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Either you have to milk them or let kids nurse, they will dry up and stop producing milk after a bit, though pygmies have small treats, and might be harder to milk, Nigerian dwarf are a miniature milk breed.

 

[waddles99]

Pygmies are not really dairy breeds, our fair classifies them as meat actually. If you like the size of the goats but want to milk them, why not try some Nigerian Dwarf goats? They are fun, smaller, and give a lot of milk for their size!
If you choose to go the milk route, you not only have to milk everyday, you milk twice a day. OR, as oldhen said, you can let the kids nurse. I assume that the reason you want milking goats is so you can have the milk, not the kids, so in that case you would be milking them by hand twice a day. Milking can seem daunting at first, but once you get the rhythm down it can be quite easy and enjoyable. I do not have milk goats but i know someone who does, and have watched her milk her herd of saanens. You have to get on a schedule for milking, i.e. once at 8:00 A.M. and once at 8:00 P.M. Once you want to dry them up you don't milk all of it out, or you switch to once a day and they will naturally dry up.

 

[jenna2030]

Oh thanks guys everybody I've heard from said Nigerian Dwarfs for milk I'm looking forward to getting some we are expecting 2 Nigerian Dwarfs and 1pygmy though I'll have to check for sure

 

[waddles99]

Oh thanks guys everybody I've heard from said Nigerian Dwarfs for milk I'm looking forward to getting some we are expecting 2 Nigerian Dwarfs and 1pygmy though I'll have to check for sure

Yep, Nigerians are arguably the best beginner milkers. Small, friendly, and cute! They give the perfect amount of milk if you have a family of 4 and maybe want to make some soap or cheese.

 

[jenna2030]

Lol thanks we r making cheese and soap and hope to give some to the chickens lol we have a family of 4

 

[waddles99]

Lol thanks we r making cheese and soap and hope to give some to the chickens lol we have a family of 4

Then that would be perfect. Nigerians give about 1/2 gallon a day. 1/2 gallon a day is more than enough for a family of four with some for cheese and soap left over. The great thing about Nigerians is since they have such a high amount of butterfat, you can make greater quantities of cheese with the same amount of milk as other goats.